


A Feather A Day

by Thunderfire69



Series: Avians [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Action & Romance, Angst, Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Avians, Bonding, Boys In Love, Curses, F/F, F/M, Fantasy, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Humour, Hurt The Drakkor| Charcoal, Hurt/Comfort, King Danveer Litch is a shady bitch, Kingdoms, LGBT Themes, M/M, OCs - Freeform, Oblivious Prince Glitch Litch, Prophecies, Queen Nevoa Litch is a good mother™️, Teen Angst, Teen Crush, Teen Romance, There’s not really a plot I just wanted to write gay avians, Violence, heavily inspired by the webcomic Castle Swimmer, mythical creatures, okay Maybe there’s a LITTLE bit of plot, tribes
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-07-26
Packaged: 2020-05-18 21:26:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,795
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19342960
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thunderfire69/pseuds/Thunderfire69
Summary: The Drakkor is the one meant to save the Tribe of Dragons from their time of hardship.The way this is meant to be done is by slowly killing him, a feather at a time.Problem is, the Drakkor doesn’t want to die.And Prince Glitch doesn’t really want him to die either.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> I got inspired to write this while reading the Webtoon Castle Swimmer; it’s super good and I’d highly recommend you check it out!

The small, skinny, dark winged avian ducked into a nook in the mountain’s rocky surface as three much larger, fully grown avians soared overhead. He took short, sharp breaths, chest heaving, and tried to keep quiet. His laboured breathing evened our after a moment, and all he could do was pray that none of them had heard him.

 

The avians in question were clutching shining, golden spears in their hands, and bright blue armour, designed to match with the sky, covered every inch of their body. They were guards, no doubt, and had been chasing him since dawn. 

 

The boy let out a small sigh of relief as they glided past without so much as a glance in his direction. He sunk down against the rock of the mountain, his pale brown hair spiking up in random directions because of it. His mint-green eyes slipped closed, only to snap open again seconds later as a screech filled the air.

 

“The mountains, Your Majesty! He could have fled into the mountains!”

 

The small boy’s heart sped up as he glanced around frantically for an exit. His eyes fell on nothing but rock, and he curled himself into a ball, wrapping his dark, almost black feathered wings around himself in a last attempt to hide.

 

“There! Guards, to me!”

 

The voice that sounded was a deep masculine one, loud enough that it sliced through the sky and met the boy’s ears. He curled himself up tighter, not willing to move. His heart beat loudly in his chest, and he was sure they would find him just from that alone.

 

Moments later, there were soft thumping noises as the guards landed, then the boy was being hauled up, and he couldn’t bring his feathery wings around himself anymore. He was bound, fairly gently, by the guards and one of their number stepped forward.

 

He wasn’t like the rest, though; where all the guards had the usual pale, slightly sandy coloured, feathered wings of an avian, this one had scaly red wings. He was tall, and had icy blue eyes that seemed to pierce right through the young boy.

 

The way he held himself exuded power, his chin titled slightly upwards as if everything were beneath him. His eyes, however, betrayed him, as they were fixed on the young boy, and were filled with an almost greedy light.

 

A scaly, pointed tail whipped behind him, giving the man a devilish appearance. The suit he wore looked impractical, yet impeccable, as did the golden crown that nestled in his hair. A crooked smile curled upon his lips, adding to the unsettling air around him.

 

The boy gulped, and curled in on himself as much as his restraints would allow. The taller man studied him for a moment, looking very much as if he wanted to skin the boy alive. 

 

“You have done well. This is indeed the  _ Drakkor _ , the one who shall end our suffering.”

 

The guards hurriedly bowed to him. “We are glad to be of aid, Your Majesty.”

 

The boy looked up at the avian- no, the  _ king _ \- who stood before him, and barely stopped himself from flinching when he leaned down to grip the boy’s chin. He turned it this way and that, as if examining him.

 

“Amazing,” the King breathed out, straightening and stepping back before gesturing to his guards, who hauled the boy to his feet. He staggered a little when they did, for they were not at all gentle with him, and he nearly fell back down before the King steadied him. It took a lot of willpower for the boy to not pull away, and the King smiled.

 

He leaned down to be at eye level with the younger avian. From here, the boy could see the slightly cruel tilt to the King’s smile, and it felt as if those icy blue eyes were chilling him to the bone.

 

“Nice to meet you,  _ Drakkor _ . You do know what  _ Drakkor  _ means, right?”

 

The boy, terrified, stiffly shook his head. The King’s crooked, cruel smile just widened a little.

 

“It means Saviour of Dragons.” The King straightened, took a step back and spread his arms and wings to gesture to the other avians with him. “We are avians from the Tribe of Dragons.”

 

The boy swallowed, his gaze flickering away from the King. There was a chuckle from above the boy’s head, as if the King found his discomfort amusing.

 

“So welcome to you, our saviour.” Then the King bared his teeth, almost threateningly. “Welcome, our  _ Drakkor _ .”

 

“H-how do you know I truly am who you think I am?” The boy’s voice was quiet, and trembled as he spoke, but he somehow managed to speak up. The King’s face hardened a little.

 

“With wings as dark feathered as yours, it would be impossible to believe otherwise.” The King leaned down to his eye level for a second time. “And those mint green eyes? Unmistakable.”

 

The boy resisted the urge to pull back as the King ran a hand through his pale brown hair. Something in his posture and those icy eyes seemed to threaten him, as if daring him to move away.

 

“And of course this hair. As pale and as soft as the foreseers predicted.”

 

The younger avian did scramble backwards a little at this, as much as his bound limbs would allow. It was then that sound of wingbeats filled the air, and the boy thanked his lucky stars. Hopefully it was a rescuer. The King stepped a little to the side, and another young avian landed gently beside the King.

 

He looked to be around the same age as the boy, but with silver feathered wings, and silvery-blue hair. His eyes were an odd purple, and an unbalanced crown sat atop his head. The way he held himself made the bound young avian feel as if he could trust him; his posture was relaxed, and he seemed unfazed by his lopsided crown, or by the King beside him.

 

The young avian almost wanted to take a step towards him, and then the newcomer caught his eye and smiled. Actually  _ smiled _ , a warm, kind smile that squeezed the breath from his lungs. It made him feel as if he could be safe with the newcomer, as if he might just get out alive with him by his side.

 

“Father,” the newcomer said coolly, addressing the King, every muscle in the young avian’s body seemed to freeze.

 

_ Father? He’s a Prince?  _

 

“Ah, Glitch, right on time.” The King flung an arm around the Prince’s shoulders, who looked visibly uncomfortable about it. “We have found the  _ Drakkor. _ ”

 

“Does he have a name?” The Prince sounded almost uninterested in the scared, bound avian, but he refused to let that stop him. He was shaking a little as he lifted his head, but he forced himself to meet the Prince’s gaze.

 

“Charcoal, Your Majesty.”


	2. One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glitch and Charcoal properly meet.

“And you’re certain he’s the  _ Drakkor _ ?” Glitch stood before his father, arms folded. The King leaned forwards a little, face twitching in anger.

 

“Yes, I’m  _ certain _ .”

 

“Danveer, stop torturing our son!” Queen Nevoa, Glitch’s mother, burst into the hall, and the Prince was sure he’d never been more glad to see her in his entire life. She was tall, around the same height as King Danveer, with long auburn hair and bright, golden eyes. 

 

On this particular day she wore a fancy, white-silver dress with pearls stitched into the fabric. Her pearly crown sat neatly atop her head, and she wore a constant smile across her features. Glitch was sure he’d never seen her frown in his life.

 

“I’m not  _ torturing  _ him,” the King protested, softening upon spotting his wife. Glitch threw a hand in front of his eyes as the two shared a brief kiss.

 

“Mom! Dad! Ew!”

 

King Danveer just turned to his son, chuckling slightly. “You’ll understand once you have a wife, son.”

 

“Please stop trying to send me on dates. The girls around here are all ugly.”  _ Plus I’m not attracted to girls. _

 

“But a King needs a Queen,” the King replied with a smile.

 

“Oh, leave him be, Danveer,” Queen Nevoa scolded. “He’s only fifteen, for Zeus’ sake.”

 

“He’s old enough to take the first feather from the  _ Drakkor _ .”

 

“Why me?” Glitch burst out.

 

“You are the heir to the Kingdom. It is as the foreseers have foretold;  _ you  _ are to take the first feather.”

 

“Danveer,” Queen Nevoa spoke up again, and Glitch felt very, very grateful that his mother was there. “He doesn’t have to if he doesn’t want to.”

 

“Then our Tribe will continue to suffer.”

 

“ _ Danveer _ .” Nevoa placed a hand on her husband’s shoulder warningly. “Let him meet the  _ Drakkor  _ first.”

 

The King let out a sigh, then turned to his son. “Alright. As your mother says, you will  _ meet  _ the  _ Drakkor  _ today. In a cycle of the moon, the first feather from the  _ Drakkor  _ will be required.”

 

Prince Glitch let out a breath. “Okay. In a cycle of the moon, you’ll have that feather, you can count on it.”

 

The King’s icy blue eyes met Glitch’s purple ones and the Prince suppressed a shiver. His father’s eyes had always unnerved him, cold and calculating and impossible to read.

 

“You make sure of it.”

 

“Come on, my son,” Queen Nevoa said, gesturing to Prince Glitch. “Let’s go down to the dungeons.”

 

“You’re keeping our saviour, the  _ Drakkor _ , in the  _ dungeon _ ?”

 

“It’s the safest place for him,” the Queen replied as she lead him from the hall and down the palace corridors. The walk to the dungeons wasn’t far, and soon they’d stopped in front of a heavily barricaded door. The Prince turned to his mother.

 

“I still don’t think it’s right. He’s not only our saviour, but he’s a boy. Like me.”

 

“You can’t be certain of that,” the Queen replied gently. “You’ve only seen him once, fleetingly. Now go on in. He’s the cell on the end.”

 

Glitch stared at her for a moment, then, without a word, pulled open the door and stepped inside. The dungeons were damp and dark, and the Prince was careful as he walked down the steep stairs that led to the cells down below.

 

As Glitch walked past the cells, prisoners reached towards him, most babbling like madman. He knew a lot of them had been down here for years, and had been driven insane by the lack of avian contact.

 

Then his arm was jerked back as an old woman gripped it tightly between her hands. He tried to pull free but her grip was vice-like and he couldn’t shake her.

 

“Please,” the old woman whispered. “Please, let me out.”

 

“Let go of me!” Prince Glitch yelled, clawing at her hands. After a few moments he managed to pull free, but the woman kept reaching for him, no matter how many steps he took back away from her cell.

 

“Please,” she whispered. “ _ Please _ .”

 

Glitch stumbled backwards, tripping over cracks in the floor as backed away from the woman. Then his back and wings hit the bars of a cell with a soft thump and he whirled around to find himself staring into the soft, pale, mint green eyes of the  _ Drakkor. _

 

He stared for a moment, taking in things he hadn’t when they’d first met. Like the fact that the  _ Drakkor _ had dark wings, yes, but they were flecked with tiny, tiny spots of gold. Or how his pale brown hair was almost honey coloured in the flickering light of the flames of the dungeons light torches. 

 

Then Glitch seemed to catch himself, and averted his gaze. “You’re the  _ Drakkor. _ ”

 

The boy behind the bars seemed to pale at the name. “Why does everyone keep saying that?”

 

Glitch frowned slightly; didn’t this boy know who he was? He leaned forwards, resting slightly against the cell bars.

 

“Because it’s who you are. The  _ Drakkor, _ the saviour of the Tribe Of Dragons.” Glitch paused, then added, “Aren’t you?”

 

“I don’t know!” The avian squeaked, taking a step back from the Prince. 

 

“So you’re  _ not  _ who my father thinks you are?”

 

The  _ Drakkor  _ just shrugged, and Glitch sighed. The Prince took a half step back from the bars of the cell, running a hand through his own pale hair worriedly.

 

“Why are you down here by yourself?” The  _ Drakkor  _ asked after a moment, and the Prince looked up, surprised.

 

“I’m here to meet you,” Glitch replied. “Before the rituals begin next moon cycle.”

 

“Rituals?”

 

“The Tribe of Dragons has to take a feather a day from the  _ Drakkor, _ ” Glitch explained. “For the rest of the  _ Drakkor’s  _ life. To end our hardships and suffering.”

 

The avian in the cell paled further. “But that… that would slowly kill me!”

 

“I know,” Glitch said grimly. “But it’s you… or our entire Tribe.”

 

The  _ Drakkor  _ cowered back from the Prince, whimpering slightly. “I don’t want to die.”

 

Glitch felt his heart ache for the avian in the cell. “But there’s not another way.”

 

“But… maybe there is,” the  _ Drakkor  _ ventured. “Did your… prophecy… ever say anything about an avian named Charcoal?”

 

Glitch shook his head. “No.”

 

“Then it might not be me!”

 

“Your name really is Charcoal?” Glitch glanced at the other avian’s darker wings and chuckled. “Okay, it kind of makes sense.”

 

“Hey! I’m not laughing at  _ your  _ name, now am I?”

 

“You can if you want. Glitch really is a stupid name.” The Prince paused. “Look, if I can find another solution in the next moon cycle, I will. But if I can’t… then I’m sorry.”

 

Charcoal met Glitch’s gaze. “Thank you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think you can see more of Castle Swimmer’s influence sneaking in lol
> 
> Also the boys!!! They speak!!!


	3. Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Glitch and his best friend Silver discuss Charcoal, and the Princess of Featherwind Tribe

“Is he  _ handsome _ ?” 

 

Glitch sighed dramatically at his friend’s words. “That’s not important, Silver.”

 

“But  _ is he _ ?” Silver leaned closer to the prince, her silver-gray eyes that she was named for wide in anticipation.

 

“Silver!” Glitch pushed her away, and she started giggling. 

 

“Oh my  _ god  _ he totally is!”

 

Glitch sighed, shaking his head at his friend. Silver had always been a tease, ever since he’d first met her way back when he was only seven years old. Back then, Silver had been shorter than him, and her hair had been a natural blonde, not dyed eccentric blues and greens like it was now.

 

Her wings had been paler, closer to white rather than the creamy colour they were now, and the black feathers that speckled her wings weren’t present at all back then either. Her physical appearance seemed to be the only way Silver ever changed, her personality the exact same as it had been the day they’d met.

 

“He is  _ not _ handsome,” Glitch insisted, then reluctantly added, “But he’s kind of cute. Only a little bit. A tiny tiny bit.”

 

Silver let out a squeal at this. “You’re totally in love! You’re going to get  _ married _ !”

 

“ _ Silver please _ ,” Glitch hissed but there was no stopping her now.

 

“You’ll adopt five children and rule the kingdom for a hundred years before you both retire to a peaceful life-”

 

“Silver!” Glitch jerked his head in the direction of a far-off avian who was gliding steadily towards the hollow the two sat in, and his friend broke off her rambling, eyes widening. It was King Danveer, face twisted in a sneer, which wasn’t an odd sight, and his icy blue gaze was fixed on the Prince.

 

“He looks mad.”

 

“I have eyes, Silver,” Glitch replied quietly as his father landed in the clearing, striding straight over to his son.

 

“You have offended the eastern kingdoms, and in doing so could have started a war!”

 

“I-”

 

“Princess Liona and her father were furious! Border guards were  _ killed _ !” King Danveer looked like he was going to continue in his rage when something in the sky caught his attention. “We will discuss this further  _ later _ .”

 

The King turned, spread his wings and launched himself into the air; after he was out of earshot, Silver turned to Glitch. The prince sighed, already dreading what was coming.

 

“So? How’d you offend Princess Liona of Featherwind Tribe?”

 

“Well, her father and my father left us alone, obviously to try and set us up… and it  _ really  _ wasn’t my fault if I called her Tribe’s customs boarish and feral, and I seriously didn’t mean to point out that her wing colourations were absolutely horrific.”

 

Silver stifled a laugh. “And she tried to start a war over  _ that _ ?”

 

“I may have also told her that she was about as pretty as a jungle hog,” Glitch admitted reluctantly, and Silver burst out laughing. After a moment, Glitch joined in.

 

“Now,” Silver said when she’d gained control of herself, “Let’s talk about this  _ boyfriend _ of yours.”

 

“He’s not my boyfriend, Silver.”

 

“Alright, so let’s talk about the cute boy locked down in the dungeons whom you’re 100% in love with.”

 

“ _ Silver _ !”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bet u all fucking love Silver now huh?


End file.
